“Myself to Myself”: The Norse Odin and Divine Autosacrifice
This chapter analyzes the self-immolation of the hanging god Odin, self-told in Norse skaldic poetry. It argues that whatever the reasons for Odin's ordeal—a reflexive sacrificial mystery which, like that of Christ, is so exalted that it may be beyond comprehension—the specificity of its cultic features do not require the influence of Christianity. Rather, they serve as an idiosyncratic confirmation of the particular power of a pagan god. Odin sacrifices himself to himself in the unique ritual terms of his own cult and becomes his own cult's centerpiece.
Keywords: Nordic gods, Odin, self-immolation, sacrifice, cults, Christ
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .